Firearm cocking mechanism



Nov. 17, 1953 l. MURRAY FIREARM COOKING MECHANISM Filed Sept? 27, 1946 l...Iii ,r HU

Patented Nov. 17, 1953 FIREARM GOCKING MECHAN ISM Ian Murray, Vancouver,British Columbia, Canada Application September 27, 1946, Serial No.699,810

6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in rearms of an automatic orsemi-automatic nature.

An object of this invention is the provision of means for cocking highspeed, powerful strikers in low powered automatic or semi-automaticrearms.

A further object is to increase the accuracy of all types of firearms.

The use of high speed ring pins in rearms is becoming more and moreimportant and today every eiort is being made to increase the speed ofthese firing pins in all types of rearms, including the low pricediield. The importance of this is indicated by the fact that the amountof human error is directly proportional to the ring pin speed. Highspeed firing pins have been used successfully in single-shot guns andmanually operated repeaters, but they have not been used in popularautomatic arms and especially in target pistols where its benets arevery noticeable.

In an automatic or semi-automatic rearm incorporating the presentinvention, very strong striker and recoil springs may be used even if itis a low powered weapon. A cooking lever is mounted in such a mannerthat considerable leverage is used for cooking the striker andcompressing the recoil spring.

This invention is more or less diagrammatically illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectionthrough a firearm incorporating this invention,

Figure 2 is a side elevation of this firearm,

Figure 3 is a section taken on the line 3--3 of Figure l, and

Figure 4 is an enlarged end elevation of the bolt.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the iirearm shown is asemi-automatic pistol having a barrel IIl, bolt housing II, trigger I2,trigger guard I3, butt I4, and a cartridge magazine I5 removablypositioned in the latter. The safety, extractor, and ejector have beenomitted for the sake of clarity, as these are all of conventionalconstruction and operation.

A substantially semi-cylindrical hollow bolt I'I having a iiat bottom isslidable longitudinally of the housing II and is open at its inner endI8 which normally rests against the inner end of the barrel, while itsouter end IS is closed and has a passage 2B extending therethrough, Thebolt has cooking grips Ila, see Figure 2, at its outer end. This bolthas a projection 2| on its lower surface which rides in a slot 22 in thebottom of the housing, said projection being (o1. ssi-195) adapted toengage the outer end of the slot to limit the rearward movement of thebolt. The projection 2| is formed with a beveled shoulder 23 at therearward end thereof.

5 A striker 26 is slidably mounted in the bolt I'I and has a striker pin21 on its forward end adapted to strike the rim of a cartridge restingin the bore of the barrel to lire it in the usual manner. A rod 28extends rearwardly from the striker through the passage 29 and has anadjusting nut 29 on the outer end thereof. A strong coil spring 3Gsurrounds this rod and lies between the striker and the end I9 of thebolt housing, said spring normally urging the striker towards andagainst D the inner end of the barrel. A lug 3I projects laterally fromthe striker adjacent its rearward end.

A Sear 33 is pivotally mounted at one end on the side of the striker 26and spring means, not

shown, urge the outer end of the sear downwardly. When the striker ismoved rearwardly in relation to the bolt I'I, the sear engages ashoulder 34 formed on said bolt to retain the striker in this position.At this time, the free end of the sear lies above a disconnector 35which extends upwardly from the trigger I2, to which it is pivotallyconnected at 36. When the trigger is squeezed, the disconnector movesupwardly to raise the sear and disengage it from the shoulder 34, andthen the spring 30 urges the striker forward to fire the cartridge.

A spring housing 39 is mounted in and extends the full length of thebutt I4 behind the maga zine I 5, and a support 4I) extends forwardlyfrom said housing beside the magazine. A relatively long cooking lever4I is pivotally mounted at 42 on the support 40 and extends upwardlybeside the bolt and engages the lug 3| of the striker. This leverdiverges from the upper towards the lower end thereof and it has arounded surface 43 near its free end which bears against a shoulder 44formed on the side of the bolt which also has a rounded surface t5 atits lowermost corner.

A retarding pin 4l rides in the upper end of the housing 39 and has abevelled shoulder d8 r' adapted to cooperate with the bevelledprojection 23 of the bolt. This pin has a fiat upper surface 43, and itrests on a strong recoil spring in the housing 39 which may be anchoredat its lower end or it may rest on a bearing piece 5I which pressesagainst the upper corner of a latch 52 pivoted at 53 for removablyretaining themagazine I5 in its place in the butt. The retarding pin hasa lug 5d on one side normally spaced from a lever arm 55 extendingrearwardly from the cooking lever adjacent its pivot.

The gun is initially cocked manually by grasping the cooking grips 11aand retracting the bolt. This aotuates the cooking and loading mechanismas hereinafter described relative to the semiautomatic cycle ofoperation. The striker 26 remains in the cocked position since the sear33 now engages the shoulder 34 on the bolt.

When the trigger is squeezed, the disconnector 35 lifts the sear fromthe shoulder 34, and the spring 3U drives the striker forwardly. Thestriker pin res the cartridge in the barrel, and the force of theexplosion forces the cartridge case back against the bolt H, thusrmoving it rearwardly. The bevelled shoulder 23 bearing against thebevelled' shoulder 38 of the retarding pin 41 presses the latterdownwardly. l At the same time, the

shoulder 44 of the bolt moves the cooking lever 4I rearwardly around itspivot 42. By the vtime the retarding pinA has completely .disengaged theshoulder 23, the lever arm 55 presses against thel outermost position(when the proj eotion 2 l lstrikes 'the end-of the 'slot 22) thevcartridge case has been "ejected in the usual manner through'an openinginthe bolt housing i l. Stand 'recessed themselves. The recoil springcauses the bolt to move forward until it engages Vthe gun barrel and thepin 41'retain's it 5in place, `while'theA striker 'spring -moves thestriker forward only until the Sear 33 engages the shoulder 3'4. As thebolt moves, it strips a cartridge in the wel-lknown manner from themagazine `I5 Aand presses 'it into the barrel. The pin 41 wedges and"retains thebolt'in this position.l 'Since the trigger is stillsqueezed, the disconnector is in its upward 'position and is pressedforward bythe end of the sear. The trigger must then be released topermit the disconnector to drop to its normal position beneath the-Sear'ready -for the next shot. The pistol is now cocked and Vready forfiring. This disconnecting action Yprevents'the gun from actingin afully automatic manner.

The leverage `afforded by the cooking-lever 4I permits lvery strongrecoil and striker springs to be used. Actually this lever functions intwo completely dierent ways. First, its pivot 42 retains the lower endthereof `from movingrearwardly while pressure is applied to its roundedsurface 43 by the shoulder 44. The latter actually acts as a fulorumpoint and this pressure is greatly magnified at the upper end of thelever, 4said magniedrpressure'being utilized -to compress the strongstrikerspring. Secondly, the pivot 42 'acts as a fulcrum about which thelever and its arm pivot so that the pressure applied to the upper end ofthe lever is greatly magnified at the outer end of the lever arm. Thismagnified pressure compresses the strong recoil spring. This providesfor a very rapid movement of the bolt and the striker. Furthermore, asthe cooking lever diverges from its upper or free end, a wider portionof it separates the shoulder 44 and 1ug'3l 'at the outer position of thebolt than'when the'latter is in its inner position. Thus, the strikermoves rearwardly during the bolt action farther than it would otherwisedo, so that a shorter cooking lever may be used to obtain a certaindegree of strikerr movement. It will be seen that the striker has a veryshort distance to travel before At this time, the springsA firing thecartridge and as the striker spring is quite powerful, ther time forthis movement is very small, thus reducing the time for the human error"to creep in.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A firearm including a movable bolt, a shoulder on the side of thebolt, a bevelled projection on the bolt, a striker slidably mountedinthe bolt, a lug projecting laterally from the striker near the boltshoulder, a retarding pin having a bevelled shoulder extending towardsthe bolt, a projection extending from the pin, a recoil spring normallyurging the pin shoulder into engagement with the .bevelled boltprojection, said pin retaining the bolt in the normal position thereofland being depressed by the bolt projection on the vrearward movement"of said bolt,A a cooking lever pivoted at its lower end and having itsupperend rextending between the bolt shoulder and the striker lug, saidlever slidably engaging the bolt shoulder adjacent the 'upper end of thelever and the lug at said upper end, andan arm projecting outwardly.from -the lever adjacent the pivot thereof fand normally spacedfrom theretardin g p'in projection, said cooking lever being 'rotated about itspivot by rearward movement of the bolt 4to move the ystriker rearwardlyrelative v f to the bolt and to move the lever arm to `com- `presstherecoil spring after the retarding pin has been depressed by the bolt,and said compressed spring'returning the bolt to the forward positionthrough the lever and the pin.

2. Arearm 'including a movable bolt, a bevelled projection formed on thebolt, a vretarding pin lying lat an angle to the bolt and having one endinline with the projection thereof, said pin having a bevelled shoulderengaging 'the projection bevel when the bolt is in its normal forwardposition, a recoil springnormally .pressing the ip'in towards the boltto retain the pin shoulder against the bolt projection removably toretain .the bolt in its forward position, the -p'rojection and shoulderbevels "causing the 'pin to be -depressed against 'the spring 'pressureupon Arearward movement of the bolt when a 'cartridge is fired, acooking lever .pivoted at its lower end and continuously and slidablyengaging the boltat the upper end of said lever, anarmprojecting.outwardly fromk the lever adjacent the pivot thereof, and means adaptedto connect the lever arm toan end of the spring, said cooking leverbeing rotated about its pivot byrearward movement of the bolt to movethe `lever arm to compress lthe recoil spring,'and said compressedspringreturning the bolt yto the forward 'position through the lever.

3. A firearm including amovable bolt, a striker slidable inrelation tosaid bolt, spring means nor' mally urging .the .striker towards theforwardtend of the bolt, a bevelled projection -formed yon the bolt, aretarding 'pin lying at an angle to the rbolt and having one end in linewith the projection thereof, said'pin having a ybevelled shoulderencartridge is fired, a cooking lever'oontinuously and slidably engagingthe bolt vand vthe .striker adapted to be moved by `said bolt` duringrearward movement of the vlatter to cook the striker, -and meansadaptedto connect the lever to an end fof the spring, said cocking lever beingrotated about its pivot by rearward movement of the bolt to move thestriker rearwardly relative to the bolt and to compress the recoilspring, and said compressed spring returning the bolt to the forwardposition through the lever.

4. A rearm including a movable bolt, a striker slidable in relation tosaid bolt, spring means normally urging the striker towards the forwardend of the bolt, sear means for removably retaining the striker in arearward position relative to the bolt, a bevelled projection formed onthe bolt, a retarding pin lying at an angle to the boltand having oneend in line with the projection thereof, said pin having a bevelledshoulder engaging the projection bevel when the bolt is in its normalforward position, a recoil spring normally pressing the pin towards thebolt to retain the pin shoulder against the bolt projection removably toretain the bolt in its forward position, the projection and shoulderbevels causing the pin to be depressed against the spring pressure uponrearward movement of the bolt when a cartridge is red, a cooking leverpivoted at its lower end, said lever slidably engaging the boltcontinuously adjacent the upper end of the lever and the striker at saidupper end, said lever being moved by the bolt during rearward movementof the latter to cock the striker, an arm projecting outwardly from thelever adjacent the pivot thereof, and means adapted to connect the leverarm to an end of the spring, said cocking lever being rotated about itspivot by rearward movement of the bolt to move the striker rearwardlyrelative to the bolt and to compress the recoil spring, and saidcompressed spring returning the bolt to the forward position through thelever.

5. A firearm including a movable bolt, a striker slidable in relation tosaid bolt, spring means normally urging the striker towards the forwardend of the bolt, a bevelled projection formed on the bolt, a retardingpin lying at an angle to the bolt and having one end in line with theprojection thereof, said pin having a bevelled shoulder engaging theprojection bevel when the bolt is in its normal forward position, arecoil spring normally pressing the pin towards the bolt to retain thepin shoulder against the bolt projection removably to retain the bolt inits forward position, the projection and shoulder bevels causing the pinto be depressed against the spring pressure upon rearward movement ofthe bolt when a cartridge is fired, a projection extending outwardlyfrom the retarding pin, a cooking lever pivoted at its lower end, saidlever slidably engaging the bolt continuously adjacent the upper end ofthe lever and the striker at said upper end, said lever being moved bythe bolt during rearward movement of the latter to cock the striker, andan arm projecting outwardly from the lever adjacent the pivot thereofand normally spaced from the pin projection, said cooking lever beingrotated about its pivot by rearward movement of the bolt to move thestriker rearwardly relative to the bolt and to move the lever arm tocompress the recoil spring after the retarding pin has been depressed bythe bolt, and said compressed spring returning the bolt to the forwardposition through the lever and the pin.

6. A rearm including a movable bolt, a striker carried by and slidablein relation to said bolt, spring means normally urging the strikertowards the forward end of the bolt, Sear means for removably retainingthe striker in a rearward position relative to the bolt, a recoilspring, a pivotally-mounted cooking lever with the pivot thereof at itslower end, said lever slidably engaging the bolt adjacent the upper endof the lever and the striker at said upper end, and a lever arm i'lxedto and projecting from the cooking lever adjacent the pivot thereof andengaging the recoil spring, said cooking lever being rotated about itspivot by rearward movement of the bolt to move the striker rearwardlyrelative to the bolt and to move the lever arm to compress the recoilspring, and said compressed spring returning the bolt to the forwardposition through the lever.

IAN MURRAY.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 317,162 Maxim May 5, 1885 571,260 Borchardt Nov. 10, 1896642,018 Ternstrom Jan. 23, 1900 863,770 Whiting Aug. 20, 1907 1,387,938Pedersen Aug. 16, 1921 1,391,498 Pedersen Sept. 20, 1921 1,450,653Swebilius Apr. 3, 1923 2,351,976 Koucky June 20, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTSNumber Country Date 603,705 France Jan. 12, 1926

